Category Archives: Obsessions

Drumming Is Good For Your Health

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I came across an interesting article today in BBC News Health that reports drumming has therapeutic benefits. Experts believe that rhythmic drumming can aid health by inducing a deep sense of relaxation, reducing stress, and lowering blood pressure. Apparently drumming is being taught to patients with problems ranging from addiction to autism, and learning difficulties to mental health issues with amazing results.  

Maybe that’s why I can’t seem to give up my drum lessons.  Now if only it can cure this cold I picked up in Apsen this weekend.

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Let the Shows Begin

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Me with Victoria Legrand of Beach House at The Fillmore - 01.21.09

 

Probably the most common question I am asked about my music addiction is exactly how many concerts I see every year.  There’s an interesting fascination around that number.  And it’s always a guy who’s asking the question.  Apparently it’s a very important statistic to track in the male dominated world of music. That or it’s some sort of test.

Admittedly, I do see a lot of shows. But I’ve never tracked the exact number.  I would probably scare myself if I did. However, if forced to give one for 2008 I would guess around 50+ easily, NOT including festivals or SXSW.  I’m assuming those don’t count because they are not really full shows, more like showcases.  But I could be wrong.  Are there written rules to this?  I don’t know.

Regardless to say, I’ve been asked enough times to start putting some conscious effort into this.  For 2009, I have resolved to have a concrete answer to this plaguing question.  Plus, it seems to fit well with my OCMD state of mind.  To fulfill this promise I have launched a new page on this site – Shows.  There you will find every show that I’ve been to this year and each one that I’m planning to attend.  It will be a living, breathing entity.  Feel free to ping me with your recommendations as well!

Oh, and I’ll make sure to share my crappy concert photos with you along with way. Like this one from The Walkmen and Beach House this week at The Fillmore.

Onward.

My Favorite Music Gift

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My friend Erin is an amazing artist but doesn’t know jack about music.  She does know how to pick a book, however, and got me this amazing book for Christmas, Bands on the Road:  The Tour Sketchbook.  The book features doodles, scribbles and sketches from an impressive list of indie music artists like The Shins, We Are Scientists, Nada Surf, Dirty Pretty Things and more, giving a glimpse into the not so glamourous life of lives of bands on the road – on stage and off.

 

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Music Lovers Gift Guide

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T-9 days and counting.  Have you done all your holiday shopping yet?  If not, here’s some gift ideas for that music lover in your life (perhaps yourself) that might inspire.  I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing some of this booty in my stocking.  

 

Ticket Stub Diary , $12.oo

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This journal created by Eric Epstein has special sleeves to protect ticket stubs and pages to write down every detail from that epic Springsteen show back in ’84. Plus, it clears up drawer space.  

 


 

iDrops , $14.95

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iDrops restore the health of your iPod (all models), iPhone, iBook, MacBook (white), eMac, and iMac G5 by bringing back the plastic, polycarbonate, or acrylic’s original factory finish and shine. This two ounce bottle of liquid health will last you many and multiple applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FM3 Buddha Machine, $25.00


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This ‘Soundbox’ from China is causing a senstation worldwide. The Buddha Machine is a hardware loop player, built kind of like a little AM radio (available in 6 different colors, shipped randomly), but without all the nonsense . It produces nine different looped ambient tones with a pitch control switch (kinda like a whammy bar), volume knob, and 1/8” audio output. Based on handheld soundboxes used for worship all over Asia. Great for music geeks and musician friends—the possibilities are endless.Brian Eno bought eight of them!

 

 

 

Mixa 1GB USB Mixtape,  $33

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Now you can give the gift of music in style! So novel but oh so fun, I wish I found this site earlier in my holiday shopping adventure.  Mixa is 1GB USB cassette tape (with a cool inny outie action), that comes with your own personally designed sleeve.  Make a party mixa, holiday mixa, thank you mixa, or a just because I love you mixa for that someone special in your life. They even have a money-back guarantee if the recipient of your love mixa doesn’t fall head over heels with you . (Though they say any love mixa holding a Lionel Richie song will be exempt.) What have you got to lose?

 

 

Griffin IKARAOKE V.2-U, $49.95

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Just plug iKaraoke into your iPod, cue up your favorite tunes, and you’re on. iKaraoke’s all-in-one microphone/processor isolates the lead vocal track and fades it, giving your voice room to make that favorite tune your own.


 

 

Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic, $79.00


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Oh please, please Santa I’ve been really good this year.  Can I get this in my stocking please?! These nifty new earbuds from Apple offer pro audio performance, impressive sound isolation and a mic and remote, making it an essential accessory for iPod or iPhone users.

 

 

 

 

InSound’s Indie-Rock-in-a-Box, ~$100 and up (prices vary)

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Buy 10 or more CDs from InSounds Top 100 Seller List of 2008 and get 25% off and Free Shipping! A very cool way to give the best in indie music this year.  Plus they’ll even package them in a special box and tie it with an Insound ribbon!

 

 

 

Sonos Player, $999 and up

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The mac-daddy of all music gifts, this fellatio-worthy piece of music equipment gives you instant acsess to all from your music from any room in your house. Plus it comes integrated with Rhaspody, Sirius XM Satellite, Last.fm and Internet radio. What else could you possibly ask for?  I can’t live without it.

 

 

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Men are from Mars

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Photo by Debra Garcia

Like most of us in our generation, I was raised in an environment that emphasized the similarities between the sexes, not the differences. I thought we were all equal and the same and never really questioned it, until I had a kid.  I now realize the folly of that belief.  For it’s never been more clear to me that boys and girls are fundamentally wired differently.  And there’s nothing like the raw impulses of children to hammer that home.

What’s most shocking to me is how the communication style and emotional needs between the sexes are so apparent, even at age 3.  Take, for example, the scene above. That’s my little guy, Judah, and his Thai girlfriend, Monet.  Every time they get together the same thing happens.  She goes to the ends of the earth to vie for his attention and he pretty much ignores her. The more she tries, the more he pulls away. Because, you know,  when you’re 3 years old, what can compete with smashing up cars and pretending to be Kung Fu Panda? Not girls anyway….yet.

Recently Monet spent the entire afternoon trying to hold Judah’s hand, much to his chagrin.  After trying to escape this nonsense unsuccessfully, my little caveman threw his arms up in exasperation and hollered:  “MONET!  Just because I don’t hold your hand, doesn’t mean I don’t love you!!”

Oh…my….god.

Listen to ‘Foreign Girls‘ from the Foreign Girls EP by Joseph Arthur, one of my long-time favorite artists.

Get this album free via eMusic’s 50 Free MP3 Promo

buy it at insound!

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AmieStreet Download for Charity: Titus Andronicus & SF’s Lemonade

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I love AmieStreet.  It’s become one of my new favorite music sites and latest obsessions.  They have great music and a very cool, community-driven concept that makes it really cheap to get music.  But you have to be on top of your music game.  It works like this:

All songs on Amie Street are priced from free to 98 cents. Instead of the arbitrary $0.99 per song, on Amie Street the community determines the price of music. Every song starts free, or very cheap, and increases in price, up to 98 cents, as more and more people purchase it.

This variable pricing system ensures that you get music at a fair, community-driven price point, and makes it easy for you to find the type of music you want. Then you’re encouraged to talk about the music you like by putting money in your account for more downloads when you recommend songs that continue to rise in price. All the music is DRM-free!  Go get an account if you don’t have one already.  

And make sure you take advantage of these great album deals…

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Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances 

Listen to ‘Titus Andronicus‘:

Taking their name from a minor Shakespearean tragedy, this New Jersey punk rock band is making waves and getting compared to the likes of The Kinks, The Pogues, Bruce Springsteen, and even Arcade Fire. They’ve built a reputation for their rowdy live performances.  If you’re in San Francisco, you can see them tonight at The Rickshaw Stop opening for No Age.

Buy it at AmieStreet for $4.74!

 

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Lemonade – Lemonade

Listen to ‘Sunchips‘:

This San Francisco-based trio has already built a following around town with their energetic live performances of avant-electronic music that fuses psych heavy synths and spacey delays.  They’ve toured and opened for the likes of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Modeselektor and Crystal Castles.  Their self-titled debut is out now and you can get it at Amie Street right now for $1.32.  Drink it up!

Buy some Lemonade for $1.32 right now.

Deerhunter – Weird Era Cont.

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Artist: Deerhunter
Album: Weird Era Cont
File Under: Ambient Indie Rock
Recommended if You Like: Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, Atlas Sound
Featured Track: ‘Operation‘

Oh happy day!  Weird Era Cont., the second disc from Deerhunter’s October release, Microcastle, is out now.  I’ve been listening to it non-stop since yesterday and it more than holds its own as an album, unlike many bonus discs.  Both albums are on heavy rotation. I couldn’t be more excited about the music Deerhunter is putting out right now. And you should be too. As fellow blogger, This Recording, put it:

‘Bradford Cox is the indie rock Jesus, ready to die for our musical sins. This guy is gay, possibly a virgin, and frighteningly skinny due to Marfan Syndrome which will likely lead to a premature death. Is there anyone you could root for more? On top of that he put out what is arguably the best album of the year, and he helped reinvigorate a genre that was drifting into irrelevance – indie rock.’

What else is there to say?

Get this album free via eMusic’s 50 Free MP3 Promo

buy it at insound!

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From the Basement: White Denim

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From the Basement is a UK-based music TV show that has launched a series of live performances from an impeccable collection of indie artists – like Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, The Kills, Andrew Bird, Beck and lots, lots more.  The program is featured on the Sky Arts channel in the UK, Rave in the US and, starting in January 2009, the IFC channel.

Until then, you can catch sneak previews of some performances.  Like this one from my current obsession White Denim. Click here to check out this blistering rendition of ‘All You Really Have to Do/ Mess Up Your Hair’. Oh yeah, these guys rock! Well worth the jump, I promise.

Watch White Denim now.

Get this album free via eMusic’s 50 Free MP3 Promo

buy it at insound!

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Wintersleep – Welcome to the Night Sky

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Artist: Wintersleep
Album: Welcome to the Night Sky
File Under: Indie Rock
Recommended if You Like: Grandaddy, The Editors, Broken Social Scene, Jeff Buckley
Featured Track: ‘Drunk on Aluminum’

This has most definitely been the album of the week for me.  While not technically a new album (it was released in Canada in 2007), it just hit the US – and my inbox – last week.  And has been on heavy rotation ever since.  

Welcome to the Night Sky is the third album for the Halifax-based Wintersleep, and one that seems destined for success in the US. Already quite popular in Canada, the band recently received the 2008 Juno award for ‘New Group of the Year’. Their sound is expansive with heavy, smashing guitars combined with delicate, heartbreaking vocals. A sound so well represented in the track ‘Drunk on Aluminum’.

Dig deeper into the album and you start to peel back the layers, and musical influences.  They have drawn comparisons to Radiohead, Mogwai and Low. I hear Jeff Buckley at times, Broken Social Scene, The Editors and a bit of Grandaddy during others. But I think what makes them so compelling to me is that they but they never seem to imitate, only reference these artists.  Which makes me keep coming back for more.  I can’t quite put my finger on it.  So I keep listening to it.  And the more I do, the more I love it.  I hope you do too.

Catch Wintersleep at Slim’s in San Francisco November 24.

Get this album free via eMusic’s 50 Free MP3 Promo

buy it at insound!

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